Our Jamaican cake is laced with rum and rich ruby wine and each slice is like a little mouthful of the Caribbean. We’ve also added black treacle, golden syrup and blitzed glace cherries to the Jamaican cake mixture giving it an extra layer of indulgent sweetness. If you like, before decorating with royal icing, you can also top the Jamaican cake with marzipan. It would make an interesting alternative at Christmas for those who are not fond of Christmas cake.
Ingredients
100g each of raisins, sultanas and prunes
60g glacé cherries, quartered
75ml rich ruby wine
75ml rum
500g margarine
500g dark brown sugar
10 eggs
2tsp lemon juice
2tsp vanilla extract
1tbsp gravy browning
2tbsp black treacle
2tsp golden syrup
700g self-raising flour
1tsp ground cinnamon
1tsp ground nutmeg
2tsp ground mixed spice
To macerate:
2tbsp each of sweet sherry, ruby wine and rum
To decorate
500g packet royal icing sugar, sieved
2tbsp metallic sugar pearls
Piping bag, fitted with Wilton
1m open star tip
23cm round cake tin, greased and lined with baking parchment
WEIGHT CONVERTER
to
Method
Put the raisins, sultanas, prunes and cherries in a jar. Pour over the wine and rum. Seal and leave in a cool place for 1 day or up to 1 month.
Heat the oven to 150°C. Blend all the fruit and liquid in a food processor until smooth.
Cream together the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually mix in the eggs (don’t worry if it curdles).
Add the lemon juice, vanilla, browning, treacle, syrup and fruit mixture.
Fold in the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and mixed spice. Gently combine.
Spoon the mixture into the tin. Cook for 1½ hours. Push a skewer into the centre of the cake – if it comes out clean, the cake is ready. If it’s sticky, cook for a further 15-30 mins and test again.
Leave the cake in the tin and pierce several times with a skewer. Combine the sherry, ruby wine and rum together in a jug and pour over the cake. Cool in the tin. Turn out and wrap in foil.
Put 2tbsp cold water into a bowl, add half the icing sugar and mix with an electric mixer. Add 2tbsp more water and the remaining icing sugar. Mix for 5 mins until smooth. Pipe icing roses over the top of the cake. Sprinkle with sugar pearls.
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